Page 162 of The Fifth Life of Alicia
Amazing.
He compared himself to both Zeus and a fairy queen in less than five minutes without the slightest hint of irony.
“Huh.” I tilted my head to the side. “So, you’re saying that all across history and religion, we’ve all worshipped the same beings, but we just perceive you differently based on our beliefs and cultures?”
“That’s exactly it.” He nodded, smiling brightly. “How do you feel now?”
That was a good question.
How did I feel?
I was kind of… empty. Like sand was slipping through my fingers. As soon as I thought I knew something, it faded away like it was nothing, leaving a gaping hole behind.
“Like something is missing.” I looked down at my hands. “I have more information now than before I collapsed, but I still don’t feel like I have all the answers to my questions.”
“You don’t, but you also haven’t asked the right questions yet.”
“And you aren’t going to tell me what those are, right?”
“There are things I can’t tell you until you get there by yourself. Let me ask you—what exactly do you feel like is missing?”
Huh.
Yes.
“The reason,” I said slowly.
“The reason for what?”
“For why this timeline is so different to the one I read inThe Second Life of Lilliaback on Earth.”
“Ooh, so that’s the title!”
I looked back at him. “Do you know it?”
“No.” He grinned. “It’s just been bugging me if you were familiar with this world and, if so, what the book was called in your past life.”
“You’re kind of a brat, do you know that?”
“You’d be a brat if you were over four billion years old and never got a birthday party. All those years and people still can’t remember my birthday.”
He had me there. “Fair enough. I can’t really counter that.”
“It’s interesting what stories cross dimensions,” God said, tapping his fingers against his knee. “Sometimes they come from transmigrators, and sometimes those who are reincarnated remember a past life and write it down.”
“Hey, you wouldn’t tell me that last time.”
“I have to retain some element of mystery, you know. I can’t just go around telling everyone the secrets of the universe.” He sniffed. “I bet there are stories from your world somewhere in Sada or Stein.”
“Perhaps. I’ll have to look when I get back.” I stopped. “Wait. Will I rememberthiswhen I wake up?”
He slowly nodded. “You have my word. Now that your powers have awoken, you will remember everything from our meetings when you wake up.”
Thank God for that.
Literally.
“What happened in the timeline you know of?” he asked. “Maybe laying it all out here will help you reach an answer.”
